Dáithí Mac Gabhann, 9, leaves hospital after waiting eight years for heart transplant

Dáithí Mac Gabhann, 9, leaves hospital after waiting eight years for heart transplant Nine-year-old Dáithí Mac Gabhann, whose heart condition sparked a change in the law around organ donation in Northern Ireland, was applauded as he left the ward after the operation A nine-year-old boy who has waited eight years for a heart transplant has finally been given the "gift of life". Dáithí Mac Gabhann was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) - a rare condition that causes the left side of the heart to be severely underdeveloped - at birth in 2016, and had his first major surgery at just four days old. Years of waiting for a life-saving transplant followed, with the boy's brave campaign eventually inspiring changes to Northern Ireland's organ donation laws. His family have now said they are "beyond grateful" as they announced he had been given a new heart, following an operation at the NHS Freeman Hospital near High Heaton, Newcastle. Dáithí was applauded by nurses as he left the ward, with the classic Rocky tune Eye of the Tiger playing in the background. In a post on social media showing the emotional moment, his family said: "After over eight years of coming to Ward 23, Dáithí officially left today with the greatest gift of all - the gift of life, the gift of a new heart. "No better song for this guy to walk out to, as Dáithí very clearly has the Eye of the Tiger." He is set to stay in Newcastle for another three weeks before returning to Northern Ireland. Dáithi had his first surgery at just four days old, and was put on a bypass machine for six days to save his life. He was admitted to hospital with flu a year later when medics became concerned about the structure of his heart valves, which were found to have backward blood flow. This complicated his planned final heart surgeries, leading doctors to decide a heart transplant was the only forward. In June 2018, he was placed on the routine waiting list for a heart transplant. His years of waiting saw his family and local community setting up the Donate4Dáithí campaign to raise awareness of organ donation, and push for a change in the law in Northern Ireland to make organ donation an opt-out process. A GoFundMe campaign went on to raise more than €12,800 (£11,00). Dáithí's Law officially came into effect on June 1, 2023, making Northern Ireland the final nation in the United Kingdom to change its organ donation process.